mercoledì 2 maggio 2012

Montelabate Abbey

When history is art

 
In Umbria, between Perugia and Gubbio, you may have the pleasure to take a walk in the history.
A short walk - just only three hours long - but a long trip in the last thousand-odd years.
It's the Montelabate Ring.
This will be your welcome: the old big Benedictine abbey.






Now it's private, but you can visit it on request, and you won't regret it!
Our trip begin below the abbey and suddenly, after few minutes, you can see on the left of the path the ancient gate of a castle.




It's the main entrance of Montelabate Castle; the ruins can only suggest its size and glory. You need many minutes to visit it all.













 Not far from it, about one hour, on the top of a hill, you can see also the few remains of another castle. It's name is Castiglion Fidatto. The original name was: "Castiglione dei figli di Atto" (Castle of Atto's sons). Now there are only two walls of the old chapel; the reason that make us sure about it is the window oriented to the Est.



An then the Abbey: one of the most beautiful example of Romanesque in Umbria. The cloister is a "little" jowel: no two columns are alike.















Montelabate Abbey, in Umbria...





...the Green Heart of Italy






martedì 3 aprile 2012

Two castles and one gate

Chìo Valley


Between High Tiber Valley, in Umbria, and Chiana Valley in Tuscany, there is a little one named Chìo Valley, characterized by a lot of Pievi (about one thousand old churches) and castles, many ruined but others incredible.



You can walk all around the valley in a day long hike, but you can also enjoy the "gate" of the valley between Castigion Fiorentino - the main town - and Montecchio Castle, both supervising the entry of the valley.




This is Castiglione Fiorentino: it's how you can imagine a medieval town...







And this is Montecchio Castle...